Tuesday, February 06, 2018

Peace Boat in Sydney Harbour

6am, Monday 5th February, 2018. The first rays of sunlight break over Sydney harbour. We’re speeding along in Greenpeace’s inflatable motor boats, hot on the heels of our target.

But this time we weren’t going after oil giants or reef destroyers. Yesterday morning we had the pleasure of welcoming Peace Boat to Sydney’s shores, where they’re spreading their message of peace and nuclear disarmament and calling for Australia’s leaders to sign the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Last year we took your name and thousands of others to Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to show her how necessary it is that Australia signs the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty. We sent a strong message, but Bishop wouldn't budge. It's barbaric that in 2018, our leaders still won't turn away from catastrophic nuclear weapons.

That's why this time we're keeping the pressure on the Government to sign the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty, and we need your help. Will you help us get the message out there?

If you're not on social media, forward this email to a friend and ask them to tell Turnbull: sign the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty now.

Peace Boat is an international organisation that travels the world on peace voyages, stopping in at ports to meet locals, talk about peace issues and create social change. On board this time were many incredible people, including survivors from Nagasaki, Fukushima and the nuclear testing in our own Australian outback. They spoke movingly at yesterday’s Peace Rally in Sydney’s CBD, alongside our friends from ICAN, Uranium Free NSW and more.

It’s frustrating, though, that Peace Boat has to come here to pressure our Prime Minister into making the obvious right choice and standing up against nuclear weapons. Nuclear warfare is catastrophic, deadly and horrifying. As second-generation Yankunytjatjara-Anangu nuclear test survivor Karina Lester put it, “We don't want to live a life of fear. We need to send a very strong message that we do not want nuclear weapons.”

Thanks for all you've done for nuclear disarmament Let's keep up the good fight.